Page 9 of A Duke to Restore her Memory

A few days later, Christina sat on a bench in the beautiful gardens at Newquay Hall, mesmerized by the bees hovering around the flowers, when she was startled by the appearance of Lady Frances, the willowy, beautiful auburn-haired lady who was staying here, who suddenly emerged on the path.

The lady looked just as startled at encountering Christina, her blue eyes widening. “Oh,” she said, biting her lip. “I am so sorry. I have disturbed you …”

Hastily, Christina stood up, dropping into an awkward curtsey. “My Lady.”

“Please, do sit down,” said Lady Frances, with a warm smile. “Actually … would you mind if I join you for a moment?”

Christina tried to stifle her shock. “Of course, My Lady. I would be honoured.”

They both sat down on the bench, gazing at the flowers. There was an awkward silence. Christina didn’t know what to say at all – the lady was a complete stranger to her, and she had no idea how to address her.

It seemed presumptuous to start talking to her as if they were equals. She shouldn’t presume. And yet, the lady herself wanted to sit with her. It was a conundrum.

“I must say, you do fascinate me,” said the lady abruptly, turning to Christina. “It must be so disconcerting to lose your memory in such a sudden, violent way.” She gazed at her curiously. “How do you feel?”

“It is disconcerting,” agreed Christina, with a grimace. “I am totally adrift in the world, with no idea who I am or my place within it … and relying on the kindness of a stranger.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “His Grace has been so generous towards me. I am so grateful.”

“He is a kind gentleman,” said Lady Frances with a small smile. “I have always thought so. And he feels responsible for you. You suffered your injury falling into one of his abandoned mine shafts, did you not?”

Christina nodded. “Yes. But he did not have to open his home to me like this.” She lapsed into silence for a moment. “He is going above and beyond his duty towards me. I feel quite bad about imposing on him in this way.”

“Do not feel bad,” insisted the lady, with another kind smile. “You should take the opportunity to heal fully. You still remember nothing at all about your life or who you are?”

“Not much,” replied Christina, her heart shifting. “I had a flash of memory about falling, and I remember being at a ball in my previous life … but both memories were so brief and fleeting.” Her hands balled into fists upon her lap. “I feel as if I am seeking a key to unlock my mind, and once I do, it will all come tumbling out.”

“Extraordinary,” said the lady, shaking her head incredulously. “You seem quite refined to me, Georgina. You speak like a lady and do not have the manner of a servant.” She hesitated. “I wonder why you were alone that day, riding along the cliffs with just a small bag. Do you think you were running away from something?”

“Perhaps,” said Christina, feeling a prickle go down her spine as she shrugged her shoulders. “No one in this district knows who I am. No one is missing from any of the houses around here. That suggests to me that I was in transit, making a journey from wherever I lived … but I do not know the reason why.”

A wave of uneasiness swept over her like a dark shadow. It felt like something was hovering on the very edge of her mind, some truth waiting to reveal itself.

She squinted into the distance, straining her mind, trying to grasp it. But the more she tried to grab it, the more elusive it was, floating away entirely.

“I am sure you will recover your memories soon,” said the lady kindly. “All will be revealed. In the meantime, do not feel as if you are a burden here. His Grace is kindness personified, as you say, and will give you the time you need …”

“There you are, Frances! I was wondering where you had got to.”

They both jumped at the voice. Christina turned. Lady Lydia, the duke’s sister, stood there watching them intently. Her hands were clasped and folded tightly in front of her. There was an uncomfortable silence.

“I must say, I am surprised to see you being so … familiar with our house guest, Frances,” said Lydia in a condescending tone. “Considering we have no idea who she actually is at all.”

Christina felt as if the lady had reached out and slapped her across the face.

“I think that Georgina was born a lady, Lydia,” said Frances fervently. “She has such a refined way about her and speaks beautifully. I am quite convinced of it.”

Christina stood up. This was so very awkward. As kind and welcoming as Lady Frances was towards her, it was equally clear that Lady Lydia did not like her at all. The duke’s sister was suspicious of her.

She had sensed it from the first moment they were introduced to each other. Christina did not blame the lady, but still, it rankled.

“Thank you for your kindness towards me, My Lady,” she said to Frances with a small smile. “I should return to my room. Good day.”

She curtseyed to both ladies, walking quickly down the path towards the house without another word. Her eyes stung with tears. The duke and Lady Frances might be fine with her staying here, but Lady Lydia didn’t feel the same way.

“Georgina!”

She stopped, turning around, still feeling confused and uncomfortable whenever anyone addressed her by the strange name. It was Lady Lydia, running towards her, trying to keep up with her. Christina waited, a feeling of unease creeping over her. What did she want?

“My Lady,” she murmured when the lady was close enough to hear her properly. “Can I help you?”

Lady Lydia stopped, staring at her openly. And the gaze held contempt. Once again, Christina felt like the lady had slapped her across the face.

“I do not like you being in my home,” said the lady, without preamble. “I find it very odd indeed that you cannot remember a single thing about your life and must seek sanctuary here.” She paused, her eyes raking over Christina in an insolent way. “What are your intentions? Why are you here?”

Christina flushed fiercely. “I have no intention,” she said, anger and indignation sweeping through her veins. “The loss of my memory is genuine, My Lady. What are you implying?”

“Only that you are a complete stranger, and I am not certain you can be trusted,” replied the lady bluntly. “You have just appeared out of the blue. No one knows you from Eve. We have no idea of your place in the world. If you intend to deceive and dupe my brother, think again.”

“I do not intend to do any such thing,” said Christina hotly, trying to ignore the tears springing into her eyes. She was determined not to show this lady that she was upsetting her. “I do realize how lucky I am to be here and that his grace is giving me sanctuary and as soon as I recover my memory or someone tells me who I am and where I live, I will leave Newquay Hall and not impose on you any longer.”

The lady smiled slowly. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. “I believe that you are deceiving my brother,” she said, her eyes hard as flint. “I believe you have done it to gain access to our home and our family. I do not trust you as far as I can throw you … Georgina.” She paused. “I have my eye upon you. I am going to uncover the truth of this.”

Before Christina could respond, the lady turned, walking away quickly. Stunned, Christina felt frozen to the spot. The unpleasant encounter had left a very bad taste in her mouth. Slowly, she lifted a hand to her face, appalled to find it was shaking.

She turned, suddenly recovering the ability to move, running down the path towards the house, flying like the wind. The gardens whizzed by, and she saw servants staring at her, but she didn’t stop until she had reached her room, flinging herself across the bed and bursting into tears.

I must leave. I must leave Newquay Hall immediately. I cannot stay with that lady thinking the worst about me. But where can I go?

She sat up, wiping away her tears, gazing mournfully out the window. She simply had no idea what she could do or where she could go.

She didn’t have much money – the small, battered purse in the bag contained only a few coins. And she couldn’t ask the duke for any money to aid her. That would only confirm Lady Lydia’s suspicions about her.

I will be sleeping in a ditch tonight if I leave this place. I have no family or friends … or none that I can remember. I have no one to turn to.

She pressed her hands against her head, desperately willing herself to remember her life, but there was nothing. It was still a great, gaping blank.

All she knew was that she had once been at a ball and was riding the black horse along the cliffs that day and had seen a bird when she had fallen. She hadn’t recovered any more memories since the day the duke had brought her back there.

The door opened. Mrs Sollock, the housekeeper, came into the room carrying some fresh linen. The woman stopped abruptly, gazing at Christina.

“Why are you crying?” she asked, tilting her head to the side and examining her closely. “Why are you upset?”

Christina wiped away the last of her tears, turning to the housekeeper. Her heart was beating hard.

“Do you think I am making it up?” she said, her voice catching. “Do you think I am pretending not to remember anything about my life?”

The woman was silent as she contemplated the question. Christina’s heart skipped a beat. Mrs Sollock was a woman of few words, but she was kind in her own way and very efficient at her job. Christina liked her.

“I must admit I was sceptical of you at first,” said the housekeeper eventually, in an even voice. “There was never any doubt that you hit your head badly, but I thought you might be hamming up the memory loss to stay here in the lap of luxury.” She paused. “But I believe you now. I can tell you are genuine. I feel sorry for you … it cannot be easy being adrift in the world with no kin or friends.”

“Thank you,” stammered Christina, feeling overwhelmed. “Lady Lydia thinks I am a fraud. She does not believe that I am genuine …”

“She is just being protective of the duke,” said Mrs Sollock firmly. “He is her younger brother. She feels as if it is her job to watch out for him. Take no notice of her. If the duke says you are welcome to stay, then that is all you need. Lady Lydia cannot throw you out, you know. This house belongs to the duke – not to her.”

Christina nodded slowly, but she still felt uneasy. The housekeeper spoke the truth, of course, but that didn’t mean that Lady Lydia couldn’t make her time here a misery, even if she weren’t the official mistress of the house.

She sighed deeply. The bitter truth was she had nowhere else to go for the moment. She was stuck here, like a fly in amber. She would just have to work out a way to deal with Lady Lydia and her unpleasantness. Her heart twisted with distress.

Please, Lord, give me back my memory. Give me back my life. I implore you.